New Day, New Challenges

When the pandemic first ensued, printers were left scratching their heads wondering how to keep business flowing. Many seized the opportunity to bounce back and stepped into the wide-format space, producing pandemic-related signage, floor graphics and face shields. Fast-forward to 2022 and these wide-format heroes find themselves facing a new set of issues - all threatening its continued growth.

Many states have lifted COVID restrictions and are returning to "normal," significantly reducing the demand for pandemic-related signage. This hits the provisional revenue streams many printers – especially wide-format print shops – have been relying on for the past 18 months.

Creating further challenges are supply chain and labor shortage issues, which in some instances are fueling one another. Some economies, like the U.S., are opening – while others, like Canada and Asia, continue to face restrictions.

While U.S. import demand for printing products/supplies has increased dramatically, many exporting countries are neither at full production, nor logistical capacity. The result? A supply impasse, increased costs and backlogging.

Adding to the pressure are labor shortages, compounded by "the great resignation," an aging workforce and a lack of skilled labor amongst the Gen Z and millennials entering the workforce.

The challenge of attracting the younger generation to the printing industry, albeit not a new one, is often where the topic of increasing automation to circumvent labor challenges weaves its way into the conversation.

While workflow automation can reduce the amount of people needed per job (and is often a by-product) it’s not a solution to today’s labor crisis. One of the main benefits of automating repetitive, error-prone tasks is that it frees up your employees to focus on what will best help the company hit its targets – whatever they are.

Attracting and retaining the skilled workforce needed to run, manage and maintain your workflow’s touchpoints continues to be a challenge that printers across the globe face.

Three factors drive growth in large-format and signage.

New Businesses. New Brand.

After a nearly two-year absence, trade shows are back – and they’re feeding a voracious, competitive appetite for business.

A hiatus from the show floor, new competitors and a shift in buyer and business behavior and values, has led companies to re-think ways to showcase their brand – with booth signage, graphics and new interactive print solutions, that can generate engagement, traffic and business. With hundreds of trade shows scheduled in the U.S. for 2022, wide-format shops have the opportunity to keep the job pipeline flowing.

Plus, the "great resignation," fueled by those who have re-evaluated their career plans due to either being laid off, working from home, or being unable to find work, has resulted in a rise of new business establishments – and brands. The Economist reports that four times as many single-person companies have been founded since the pandemic began.

New Technology. New Solutions.

Constantly improving technologies and trends impacting the growth in wide-format include artificial intelligence, 3D modelling, virtual reality, packaging and prototyping, interior décor, short-run wall coverings and sustainable solutions – to name a few.

Tim Greene, research director for IDC, sees some interesting trends on the equipment side. New requirements for sustainability, turnaround time, drying time and running costs continue to drive innovation in UV, dye sublimation and latex.

Curation processes and technology are a prime example of just how far equipment and technology has progressed over the last five years, enabling printers to offer more competitive solutions and better customer experiences. An increasing demand for cost-effective and textured-coating printing inks, has increased the popularity of UV-curated inks – and a shift to UV-gel, which produces a high-quality product, reduces curation time, saves costs and has a significantly smaller odor footprint.

It's a similar story for white ink, with equipment evolving over the past five years to not only improve the quality and durability of the ink itself, but to also increase production speed, efficiency and product quality – resulting in more vivid designs and more application options in signage, backlit signage and window films.

However, a discussion about improved technology in the print industry is incomplete without mentioning the impact of web-to-print software. With more integrations, better user experience, easier implementation, increased options and better customizations, e-commerce helped many printers reach new customers and geographies 24 x 7 x 365 – while simultaneously gaining access to real-time, business-defining data. It’s a market that’s expected to grow at a CAGR of 7% between 2022 and 2027, according to Expert Market Research.

Having an online storefront allowed buyers to shop with their keyboards to fulfill their print needs – from zoom-ready backdrops and wall murals, to safety, wayfinding and re-opening floor graphics and signs – all from the comfort of their laptop, tablet or phone.

People are still spending a lot of time online, and likely will continue to do so, even as economies re-awaken.

DataReportal’s Digital 2022: "Global Overview Report" reveals that most of the connected world continues to grow faster than it did before the pandemic. While Insider Intelligence expects U.S. e-commerce sales will cross $1 trillion for the first time in 2022. Prior to the pandemic, they did not forecast e-commerce reaching this milestone until 2024.

New Trends. New Expectations.

The thing about popular culture is it’s not static – it’s constantly shifting and adapting to the changing times. And boy, have times changed. Just look at recent pop-culture design and environmental trends.

Digital platforms like TikTok, Instagram and Pinterest influence the look of many new “micro” brands, influencing young entrepreneurs and startups to turn to bright, attractive images with muted presets — aka: the “Instagram aesthetic."

Embracing this minimalist, clean design trend over the past few years are brands like Burger King, Mastercard, Warner Bros., Nissan, VW, Volvo, GM, UPS and Pepsi. Plus, with these brands eager to create memorable, physical experiences, printers can seize the opportunity for photography, logos and website design – previously tethered to the dimensions of a screen – to be brought to life with full-size, 3-D, touchable print.

Another trend in pop culture is increased ecological awareness. While this has impacted nearly every industry, the print and paper sector have been particularly hard-hit, again falling victim to greenwashing statements.

Two Sides North America, an independent, non-profit organization, has made it its mission to bust paper myths and spread the sustainability story of print, paper and paper-based packaging. Contrary to popular belief, the forest products sector is, in fact, central to the ongoing transition to a low-carbon and circular future rooted in renewable, natural resources, according to World Business Council for Sustainable Development. To further “green” their supply-chains – printers are reducing carbon footprints, migrating to sustainable inks and consumables, and adopting more sustainable printing practices.

The Shifting Landscape of Large-Format Printing

In early 2021 I wrote about how critical print is to the brand experience, and how it takes more than 10 interactions before brand recall even begins to set in. Big, beautiful print increases the chances of being noticed and provides a powerful way to reinforce that brand recall, whether it’s in-store, in-office or on the trade show floor.

Climate change remains an important issue in many aspects of life – business and personal – impacting equipment, technology, printing practices, supplier and material choices.

While each day sees new hurdles and challenges, an abundance of opportunities for wide-format shops to tap into revenue streams exists, when focused on what’s driving growth. With constantly improving technology and equipment, the signage and large-format landscape can become greener, leaner and stronger.